Hockey Returning to Wichita Falls Once Again

Hockey will be returning to the Kay Yeager Coliseum in a few months, but it's not a reboot of the Wildcats as some may have speculated. The newly formed USA Central Hockey League will be comprised of six teams. Three of six are Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, the Laredo Bucks, and the yet-to-named Wichita Falls team.

"We're excited that Wichtia Falls is going to be team number three in our league...what an opportunity to bring hockey back to this area", said Troy Mick, consultant, and advisor to the USACHL. The new league will be made up of 18-20-year-old players. They will not be paid, nor will the players pay to play. Mick says the USACHL is a non-pay-to-play organization.

The league will be holding a 'name the team' contest on it's Facebook page. WichitaFallsHockey.com has launched as the official website. The game schedule should be announced within the next few weeks. The schedule will consist of 24 home games and 24 away games and will begin near the end of October. All of the teams will be owned by the league itself. Camps will be announced for player tryouts in the next 10 days. The ownership does plan to establish a youth hockey league in the city as well. The complete video from the press conference can be seen below.

But first...if you'll indulge me for a moment, there's a couple of things I would personally like to add:

Wichita Falls and the surrounding communities must get out, buy tickets and show up to the games. If there is one observation I can offer from past sports ventures that have come to our city, it's that too few people show up for the games. I'm a lifetime resident of this city. And for as long as I can remember, I've heard the same complaint: 'There's nothing to do in Wichita Falls'. First, that's just not true. Is there something here for every single entertainment appetite? No, but to make such a broad statement is simply wrong, and we all know it. What I have seen is that, time and again, things do come to our city, then we don't buy the ticket and show up. I get it. Most of us don't have unlimited disposable income. We cannot all afford to attend every game, every concert, every event, but at the end of the day, we, the community have to support this. Not everything can be free. We owe it to these folks to show them they are not wrong in picking our city as a home for this team. Let's show up, buy tickets, purchase merchandise, spend at the concession stands and show the world that we actually do want to support events and teams in our city. It's time to turn a corner in the Wichita Falls area. Old attitudes towards these things need to die and right now. Show your support! Thank you.